Internet security

More needs to be done to minimize theft of consumers' digital information.

Copyright 2014: Houston Chronicle

Updated 9:45 pm, Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Photo: Martin Meissner, STR

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FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2009 file photo, a Mastercard chip-based credit card is posed for a photo in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. In the wake of recent high-profile data breaches, including this weekâs revelation that hackers stole consumer data from eBayâs computer systems, Visa and MasterCard are renewing a push to speed the adoption of microchips into U.S. credit and debit cards. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File) less

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2009 file photo, a Mastercard chip-based credit card is posed for a photo in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. In the wake of recent high-profile data breaches, including this weekâs ... more

Photo: Martin Meissner, STR

Internet security

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Remember Aesop's fable about the country mouse who traveled to the city for the fine life, only to be chased by a pair of vicious dogs? The plight of that naive mouse has much in common with an Internet user who succumbs to the allure of unfamiliar links and becomes a victim of data theft.

Consumers need to actively protect themselves by adopting strong and distinctive passwords, using anti-virus programs and downloading security upgrades. The use of stolen user names and passwords continues to be the main way that thieves gain access to information, according to a 2014 Verizon report.

But Internet users are not the only ones responsible for minimizing data theft. Local thieves once scavenged trash cans for receipts and credit card slips. Today, global cyber theft is sophisticated and companies too often fail to prevent the theft of consumers' information. Target, eBay, Neiman Marcus, Michaels, and P.F. Chang's have all been victimized recently. And here in Houston, The Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa and Spec's liquor store chain have joined the list.

Last week, The Houstonian told customers that they were exposed to a "malicious software attack" that exposed the credit or debit card data of thousands of customers. ("Line of hacked businesses grow longer" Page A1, July 12). Similarly, in March, Spec's announced that as many of 500,000 of its customers may have had credit card or other financial data stolen. No wonder credit and debit card fraud nearly quadrupled in the past decade, according to The Nilson Report.

One suggestion is for the credit card industry to shift toward cards that have microchips that are more difficult to counterfeit. Others include securing off-site data stored in the cloud and including mobile devices in security plans.

But corporate measures alone won't be enough. Organized crime groups have their hands in a lot of cyber-financial crimes, says Rich Garcia, a retired FBI agent who is based in Houston and specializes in combating cybercrime. The government needs to do more to help identify hackers and put them out of business, according to Shawn Henry, president of CrowdStrike Services and former executive assistant director of the FBI.

A healthy business climate depends on consumers being able to trust companies with their data. Not only do such staggering losses raise the cost of goods, massive internet security breaches threaten the way Americans conduct their lives.